------------“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” Harriet Tubman ---------------
"everything in this world exudes crime"
Baudelaire ------------------------------------------- king of the gramatically incorrect, last of the two finger typist------------------------the truth, uncut funk, da bomb..HOME OF THE SIX MINUTE BLOG POST STR8 FROM BRAINCELL TO CYBERVILLE

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Many argue that America is slowly becoming a police state I am sure that Maryanne Godboldo of Detroit, Michigan would agree. Ms. Godboldo is an African American mother of a teenager daughter. She now faces multiple felony charges and is being held on $500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with a heavily armed police SWAT team. Allegedly because Godboldo was protecting her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication ordered by the state.

Child Protective Services (CPS) called in the police to assist in their kidnapping of the 13-year-old after her mother refused to medicate her with dangerous psychiatric drugs. When Maryanne refused to let CPS take her daughter away, they then called the police, who next smashed down her front door and attempted to raid her home to kidnap her daughter by force.

It seems that the powers that be have defined refusing to medicate your children is now considered to be a felony crime. According to the mother, the medications caused side effects in her daughter that exacerbated her condition. The medication, Risperdal is a neuroleptic antipsychotic medication with a know history for causing serious side effects such as abdominal pain, vomiting, aggression, anxiety, dizziness and lack of coordination.

Godboldo’s daughter was born with a defective foot that eventually led to the amputation of her leg below the knee. Upon which, she became a stay-at-home mother after her birth according to official documents. Regardless of the handicap, she played the piano and danced. Although the police did not have a warrant or any court documents whatsoever granting them any right to enter her home, they reported that she opened fire on them after the smashed through her door and a 12-hour standoff ensued.

She eventually surrendered to the SWAT team, and the state took her daughter to a psychiatric hospital where her mother and attorney claim she is being molested by the staff. Godboldo now faces multiple felony charges: firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

These gas prices are kicking all of us in the rear end. Many blame the President, others commodity market speculators and still others OPEC. But they all are off from the way I see the issue. The real issue and the culprit is the US dollar. Specifically, its reduced value and purchasing power.

It seems almost intentional, avoiding the declining value of the dollar for the pricing increases we are seeing in everything from oil to food to gas. Politicians seem to just want to exploit the issue by appealing to popular sentiment. The fact is that the US dollar continues to hit record lows against all major foreign currencies especially the yuan, Euro and the Yen. Add to that the recent IMF findings that China’s economy will surpass that of America in 2016, it is more that meets the eye when speaking about the rising cost of gas. Why? Because we are not going through a recovery as the government suggest but rather a debt spending boom based on the home buying explosion of years past.

Truth is US household debt reached a high in June of $8.7 trillion, and with rising unemployment and no economic growth, it is reflected in the reduced value of the dollar. Such impacts negatively US Treasuries especially since now the Japanese government will need to sell its US Treasuries to deal with and pay for cleaning up and rebuilding after the Earthquake. Add to this gumbo China, which has the largest dollar surplus in the world, saw it foreign exchange reserves increased by 197.4 billion U.S. dollars in the first three months of this year to 3.04 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of March.

Now back to oil and gas. In simple terms, the weakness in the US dollar is causing everything to go up. This in an environment in which the rate of new debt growth among families is growing and the overall US manufacturing economy declines. This inherently impacts the dollar since what politicians ignore in their budget and deficit battles is the fact that US trade deficits and the Dollar System are connected.

Historically, in 1944 the Bretton Woods agreement solidified the dollar as the preeminent world reserve currency, defining the dollar in value to be 1/35th of an ounce of gold. In 1971, when President Nixon refused to pay out any of our remaining 280 million ounces of gold, he made the dollar what is today.

Oil is a critical economic and strategic resource and since it is traded in US$, when the US$ weakens, in terms of any other major foreign currency, the countries exporting oil get less. Thus when the dollar goes down in buying power they ask for more US$ for a barrel of oil. This gets even trickier since there is no shortage of oil via production currently. But what they see is our economy, let us say compared to a China which by estimates will expand from $11.2 trillion this year to $19 trillion in 2016, while the U.S. economy will rise from $15.2 trillion to $18.8 trillion. Strange, since it was just a decade ago when the U.S. economy was three times the size of China’s.

All I am trying to say is that the America we once knew with the all powerful dollar bill isn’t the same. The fact is that we have a surplus of oil and that we are not refining gasoline/ In addition, what we are seeing is the impact of a weaker dollar on oil demand in non-dollar economies. Oil producers sell their products in dollars. The dollars they get are used to buy other stuff around the globe. If it cost them more dollars to do so then they have to sell their oil for more dollars.

And as long as the U.S. Dollar is continuously devalued (inflated) by Federal Reserve and U.S. government monetary policies, oil producing nations will lose money if they don’t raise the price.

Yep the problem is our government and our monetary policies. The dollar may never be the same. Yet all the time wall street, big oil companies and politicians are getting richer as the sell all that made America great away to corporations and other nations through our monetary policy. Yep, that’s America; the greatest and best government money can buy.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Not so long ago I remember comparing then President’s George W. Bush entry into Afghanistan as being another Vietnam. It had no direction and unfortunately under the current administration, although it has instruction, it still is going every which way but loose. Now I remember Vietnam, seeing news every day of mangled bodies of young American soldiers barely out of high school fighting in mangrove swamps and being carried out mortally wounded on large helicopters, just as I remember the day we watched the draft and saw the birthday of my uncle, October 28, the only male in my family, listed on the draft board on television. He was lucky, being the only male he was not taken in the draft.

The actions in Libya began at a certain start date, albeit Bush and Rice made new in roads in the earlier part of this decade that may have contributed to what Obama has implemented to date. Such was not true for Vietnam, seeing that the US entered that war incrementally, in a series of steps between 1950 and 1965. President Harry S. Truman, in May 1950, authorized economic and military aid to the French, who were fighting to retain control of their Indochina colony, which was comprised of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

But the Vietnamese Nationalist defeated French forces at Dienbienphu in 1954, which led the French to create a non-Communist entity south of that line. Since the United States refused to accept this, President Dwight D. Eisenhower went into nation building mode that became South Vietnam. Similar to what the US and NATO are doing with taking the sides of the rebels in Libya.

Although not on the record, like then, we and other nations have sent military advisers to help the country’s rebels. Thus far to date, the NATO no-fly zone has failed to both protect citizens and aid the rebels. Both, similar to our first entrance into Vietnam where we intervened in the middle of civil war. The reason we lost in Vietnam was due to not have lucid goals and objectives and a lack of confidence in our mission in southeastern Asia. The same can be asserted for the current Libya policy where we have no goal and worse, do not even know who we are supporting.

What is evident is eerily similar to 1961, when President John F. Kennedy secretly sent 400 Green Beret soldiers to teach the South Vietnamese how to fight against Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam. By the time of his death in November 1963, there were more 16,000 U.S. military advisers in South Vietnam.

The lesson that Obama and our politicians should take is that history is the best teacher. After Kennedy was killed and Lyndon Johnson began became President, the incessant bombing of North Vietnam increased and Johnson sent the Marines to South Vietnam in 1965. Although Johnson had intended to fight a limited war, he did not expected that the North Vietnamese would be able to hold out long against the American military.

To date our air campaign has had little effect against Moammar Khadafy. And if we make the mistake of assuming that airpower will get him out singularly, we are wrong and will be in line for a long term stalemate. It is just strange to that after all these years have passed since we first jumped into Vietnam, we have yet to figure out policy that match our political and military goals under such circumstances. Baffles the mind, doesn’t it?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Let me put this on the table, I was born in 1962. The golden age of struggle and liberty of family and real sports. I was blessed to have seen the greats many today have forgotten. I used to go to the Memphis Blues AAA baseball team field to see games when Eddie Murry was a minor leaguer because some of my best friends at the time, Anthony and Ricky Duncan cousin Taylor Duncan played Third Base for the Rochester Redwings. We would shag fly ball before each game they were in Memphis, leaving me with more than 100 balls and a cracked Eddie Murray bat – which I cherished.

I was blessed. I was a child of Monday Night Football. I saw the first game. I remember the night Howard Cosell announced John Lennon had been killed, the Colts were playing. I remember bump and run coverage for in football my idols were O.J. Simpson, Dick Butkus, Fran Tarkenton, Conrad Dobler, Jack Tatum and Lester Hayes among others. I cried when my Vikings lost four supper bowels and celebrated when my Steelers won four. That was football. In baseball, I loved Luis Tiant, J.R. Richards, Oil Can Boyd, Steve Carlton, and every player on the 1971 to 1973 Oakland A’s. And Dave Winfield, well I remember seeing him win the college World Series and being MVP as a pitcher. A pitcher would would smack a ball so hard and slide head first because he was competitive and serious. But not as serious and mean as Bob Gibson. And there was difference in the NBA. With Jack Sikma, Bernard King, Walt Frazier and Mr. Sky Hook himself.

But it is not like that anymore. Now, I do not look at sports the same. Maybe it’s the plethora of commentators and sports talk folk that have never played high level sports or the prices of tickets or the salaries players make that turns me off. It really rubs me the wrong way when professional athletes and owners alike think they are not making enough money to the extent players would strike. When I was growing up, players worked regular jobs when the season was over – a sign of character and integrity blatantly missing from professional sports today.

All this talk of a strike or a lock-out, NBA or NFL is beyond reason. I mean It doesn’t make any sense. Especially when people speak of how dangerous their jobs are. When I grew up, professional athletes worked during the year – regular jobs in addition to playing their sport. Sure times have changed but the greed avarice has to stop. Like I said, I know some of yawl will say they deserve the money, that they risk life time injury, that they spent their entire life playing these games. Yes games. By this logic, they don’t deserve what they are being paid. I mean military personal (by choice) like athletes select what they desire to do. And no one anywhere can tell me that a running back or power forward does more to deserve millions of dollars than a solider or a teacher.

But again, objectivity is not of importance. What is stated as being of importance is what they do, which is entertain. Which is strangely curious to me for I cannot understand why they need more money than a person risking his life for their freedom when they already make millions? All of this is lost in translation. It’s just a game; it’s not life or death. Sure a knee injury could destroy an athlete’s career, but it aint like they stepped on an explosive device. Maybe if most athletes would finish or even attend classes while they were in a school they would be able to discern such.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Ok, I hate to say (really I don’t) but I was pro-phetic like pro football regarding my reference to Obama as being the New Tricky Dick in My post this past Tuesday.Yep like Jimmy “Super-Fly” Snuka, he dropped kicked Paul Ryan and the Republicans.I could not write this on Wednesday, since I wanted to re-read the Ryan budget again to make sure gloating was appropriate.But like I said, I was prophetic.

In Memphis there is one colloquialism that aptly describe what the President did. 1] He pulled his player card.

Now trying to keep it simple, after reading House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan’s budget, what sticks out is that the GOP's cuts come from overturning Obama Care, which would save $725 billion by repealing the subsidies folk would have get to help buy health insurance. In addition, Ryan would drastically change Medicare. Instead of the government reimbursing doctors and hospitals for certain medical services, seniors would purchase a private health care plan and the Feds would then pay the private insurer up to a specified amount. The so-called "Path to Prosperity" would also lower the highest individual and corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 25 percent but neglects to outline which specific tax credits would be eliminated (maybe this is why he was a couple-a-few hundred billion off in his math concerning both cost of interest and Medicare on speculative budget reduction.

Now I can’t be mad at the last one because Obama has not mentioned any specifics either, but he does note the logic in the necessity of taxes, especially for the big Whigs inclusive of individual CEO’s, corporations and their owners. Thus the player card was pulled since Ryan and the GOP (sounds like a 1980s boy band) plainly just wants to use the deficit as an excuse to cut taxes for the rich.

Obama really rocked them with the player card (prescription drug cost reductions in Medicare Part D - ingenious I must admit. This is a real saving compared to Ryan’s proposal which only obtains such from budget cuts. I mean, in my family, I can stop spending as much on going out, but if I have to use it to deal with increasing gas and food prices, what do I actually save? Nothing. The boy band I referenced earlier must think I (representative of Americans, especially the under employed) am stupid. More than 60 percent of Ryan’s cuts come from programs that serve the needy, minorities and the poor specifically.

This is the first time Obama has really impressed me as well as show that he does have gonads. Truth is that Ryan’s plan won’t control costs but rather shift them to the poor and elderly folk who need the most with respect to medical care for example for the latter. Not to mention he states his plan would reduce unemployment to 4 percent in 2015 and 2.8 percent in 2021, figures that America has not experienced since the 1950s

For as Obama stated in his speech: “Around two-thirds of our budget is spent on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and national security. Programs like unemployment insurance, student loans, veterans' benefits, and tax credits for working families take up another 20%. What's left, after interest on the debt, is just 12 percent for everything else. That's 12 percent for all of our other national priorities like education and clean energy; medical research and transportation; food safety and keeping our air and water clean.”

The Ryan budget shows me that as a nation, we need to invest more in education, especially basic math.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

African Americans have a strong history of standing up against injustice and hatred. This is not the case currently. Although America has its first African American President, many who claim to support Obama are silent in the right’s quest to humiliate and doubt his legitimacy to serve as the commander in chief.

Just last week we lost a great scholar who made a career in speaking out for truth and against racist dogma, Dr. Manning Marable, but now, it seems we are top heavy with more entertainers and athletes and celebrities that thinkers, intellectuals and those concerned with the collective over the individual. True, entertainers and celebrities can hold the banner for such as James Brown, Bill Crosby, Arthur Ashe, Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali did in the past, but such is not the case for celebrities today.

Over the past few weeks, Presidential hopeful and tea party fuck boy Donald Trump has been front and center in stating his belief that President Obama as not being a native born American citizen. Triumph, a billionaire and executive producer of the weekly television show “Celebrity Apprentice.”, has received some criticism from African Americans but not much. Especially from celebrities.On his show there are several people of color including the rapper Little Jon, the reality television beneficiary Ne Ne Leaks, singer Dionne Warrick, and Lawyer Star Jones, but to my amazement, none have spoken out openly against Trumps assertions that Obama was not born in America. I find this troubling for two reasons. First that they are afraid and subconsciously see Trump as a slave master who would be more prone to chop off their foot for not changing their slave name (a metaphor for money) than to stand for the truth and their community. The second is that they appear to be cowards, afraid to voice their beliefs in support of Obama, as if they have forgotten they will not have water hose sprayed on them or dogs let loose on them.

I am very saddened that in 2011, people feel obligated to act more as slaves than free individuals. That is unless they too believe Obama is not a native born American. If they do not, then they seem to serve their selves over the community, the same community that supported them and made them wealthy. For being ashamed to voice a political opinion for a man you support is both loathsome and cowardice and reminds me of what George Orwell once wrote: In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

For the past several days, since the folk inside the beltway worked out a deal to prevent a government shut down, I have been lmbao. What is strikingly humorous is how the democrats and Obama administration is announcing a moderate defeat and how House GOP leadership and beltway conservatives are claiming victory. Frankly I cannot tell who should get the award for best supporting cast but I will lean toward the Obama administration and I will tell you why. First, I do not see any victory for the GOP. Sure they claim to have cut 39.5 billion from the budget, but it may actually be about 20 billion according to my math, since what I have read seems to buttress the contention that about 20 billion were from the two prior house continuation resolutions to keep all government staff on the job. Now if this is true, Obama is playing wolf when he knows very well that he did not give in as much to GOP grass roots proponents desired. And on the other hand, the GOP leadership in the house has been made to either look like fools or reveal their honest deviancies in basic math. First they said they would cut $100 billion, then around $60 billion, then what they settled for last week. Talk about recapitulation. Then they celebrate as if they won the lottery. In fact they have evinced an approach that merely similar to the metaphorical house of cards. Yes they are on shaky ground for one can best believe they are getting it from the GOP base for not standing firm, and even worse, allowing Obama to usurp the claim of fiscal conservative economics for himself, maybe even inclusive of the democratic party. Now Obama will drop his player card. Supposedly Wednesday he will drop his anti-Paul Ryan plan to reduce the debt. Sure it has basic democratic plans to tax the uber wealthy and cutting defense department spending but surprisingly, it steals a few GOP trump card including slashing programs that aid poor and elderly folk (straight out the republican play book.). But more revealing is that he will show he will be trying to save Medicaid and Medicare unlike the Ryan budget. If you have read what I have read thus far regarding the budget proposal submitted by Paul Ryan, basically changes Medicare to a new program completely. Meaning states with a bunch of seniors like Pennsylvania and Florida may lead to the democrats if they are seen to be fighting against Ryan’s proposed changes to the program. So if house republicans succeed in making their changes via vote this week, changes that will obviate the government from the primary insurer to private corporations, then Obama will be in the driver seat for 2012. He reminds me of Richard Nixon in a way, namely that Nixon was in my eyes one of the smartest Presidents ever. And besides the war in Vietnam and his Watergate issues, earned the name “tricky Dick.” I mean he even got folks to drive 55 miles an hour. This is why Obama is giving his speech today on dealing with the nation’s long term debt. He scooped them; he undercut the GOP at their own game and stole their message. Yes folk, tricky Dick has returned in the form of Barack Obama.

It is evident that class warfare is on the front burner for Republicans and Tea party activist across the nation. From inside the beltway to state capitols across America, legislatures have specifically targeted programs that disproportionately assist Blacks and minorities communities who also happen to subsist mainly at or below the poverty level. The latest example is in the state of Florida, where a bill is being brought to the floor, based on ideas first offered by noted white supremist and Klansman David Duke that would mandate that the state’s welfare recipients would have to undergo -- and pay for -- drug tests to be eligible to receive welfare benefits. The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Jimmie T. Smith, has argued that this is necessary to ensure that state and federal dollars are being spent on families who truly deserve the aid and that those who receive the money don't spend it on drugs. If successful, Florida would become the second state in the nation to approve such an ordinance. It was a central part of the campaign of current, Gov. Rick Scott last year. This would require that more than 21,000 Floridians currently receiving assistance as heads of households would have to submit to the drug screenings, according to the Department of Children and Families. Although it has been pointed out that this could be a profit windfall for Rep. Scott, the measure (HB 353) was approved by the House Judiciary Committee Thursday by a 13-5 vote. Scott founded the urgent care chain, Solantic, would be the owner of the company that will conduct the drug test at a cost of $35 each. Scott has since transferred ownership of the chain to his wife, Ann, after taking office.